Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Bobby McMann was traded not because he wasn’t good enough, but because the Maple Leafs built a cap structure that makes it impossible to keep players they develop.
At the deadline, the Seattle Kraken added Bobby McMann due to their need for a speedy, scoring winger to complement the lineup, and came cheaper than expected thanks to Toronto taking an underwhelming return.
McMann’s best season came at the worst time possible
McMann, 29, had 32 points for the Maple Leafs this season including 19 goals. This was a season after he put up 20 goals and was looking to be a key piece going forward.
But it came at a time when Toronto was undergoing a new direction. Mitch Marner was headed out of town, the team got a lot of new faces, and couldn’t weather an early season storm.
The more Toronto lost though, McMann stayed solid throughout. He kept building up his value, and given that he makes $1.35-million — he was due for a big raise.
But that raise could come at a cost of over triple what he currently makes. Reports stated anywhere between $5-6M per season would be the cost, and already at nearly 30; it’s a risky commitment.
He did all he could to raise his trade stock so that Toronto could at least get something back for a player they couldn’t bring back because it was too expensive and the Maple Leafs still messed that up.
Toronto made the exact same mistake with Zach Hyman in 2021
With the similarities between the 2015-16 club and the 2025-26 season, let’s look at another comparison that no doubt still haunts the Maple Leafs.
Zach Hyman came in and was a force to be reckoned with. He scored 86 goals with 185 points in five seasons with Toronto, along with 480 hits and secured a few Selke votes too.
But with an expiring deal in 2021, Toronto decided that Hyman’s asking price of $5-million per season was too much given they had their stars to deal with.
You had $30-million alone in the Core Four, and it felt like Toronto decided to hedge their bets on the stars, and not the supporting cast.
He jumped ship to Edmonton for $5.5-million and put up 117 goals in his first three seasons with the team meanwhile Toronto has rotated through several players trying to find a replacement who has never come close.
McMann was the closest thing they had to that and they squandered him.
50% of the cap on four players; everyone else pays the price
Them’s the breaks though when you’re a team who dedicates 50% of their cap space to four players. It’s why Hyman left, the money wasn’t there.
You also have other names who have left town who the team neglected to keep around like Connor Brown (who followed Hyman to Edmonton), Tyler Bertuzzi, and James van Riemsdyk — all who signed for much bigger deals because Toronto was unwilling to pay.
It’s hard to keep a consistent roster when every two or three years you need to ship out a potential core part of the offence because you can’t afford to keep them and in turn, leaves your stars yearning for more too.
McMann is another chapter in the story of the Maple Leafs’s cap situation. Hyman left, others did too, and now McMann is gone. Until the team decides to change their attitude, another chapter is waiting to be written.
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POLL
10 HOURS AGO|154 ANSWERS
The Maple Leafs just lost Bobby McMann for the same reason they lost Zach Hyman
Did Toronto make the same mistake with Bobby McMann as they did with Zach Hyman?